In Death As In Life
by secretfanficlover
Summary: Albus and Minerva visit a medium to communicate with a ghost they believe holds the key to what they lost. Warnings: VoldemortwinsAU, toture, and non-canon death.


**This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.**

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Word Count: 908

Title: In Death As In Life

Note: AU! Dumbledore lives, Voldemort wins, Harry dies. I would like to believe Albus and Minerva have more than just a colleague relationship and that they could be friends as well.

Warnings: torture, non-canon death

Beta: Aya

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Hogwarts

Assignment 3: Necromancy: Little Known Facts: Task #4 - Modern Necromancy Involves Speaking To The Dead - Not Actually Reviving Them: Write about a Medium, or an attempt to contact the dead.

Yearly:

Prompt 542 [Colour] Lemon yellow

[92] Excuse

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The air felt heavy overhead and Minerva had chills from the house near the edge of the graveyard.

She paused to listen, but the only sounds in the night were the crickets chirping unbothered by surroundings.

"Albus," she said, her voice echoing through the empty night.

"Yes, Minerva?"

"Why are we _here_?" her question came and her stern eyes peered at him.

"Together, we will make sure we seek out Potter's spirit through this woman and attempt to discover the key to beating _him_," Albus suggested as if this was as simple as picking lunch.

"Albus, we are in this situation because of you messing with life and death," she scolded.

She paused to scrutinise his lemon yellow robes before continuing.

"I told you what would happen; there wouldn't be any problems if you just listened."

"Dear Minerva, I understand you cared for the boy, and I—" Albus said.

"Don't start, Albus," she said, holding up a hand to quiet him. "Let's just go and get this over with."

They walked over to the small hut, and Albus raised his hand to knock.

"Enter," a woman's voice spoke, and the old wooden door creaked open unaided. Minerva spotted the old frail woman sitting in the corner of the room.

"Excuse me for remaining seated," she commented to her guests. "It's been a while since I've had guests."

"I'm Albus," Albus started to say, holding his hand out to her.

"Oh, I know, I know who you are, and I know why you have come," the witch said.

"Will you help us, Madam Goldstein?" Minerva said, speaking up despite her internal clock going haywire at the darkness present around her.

"My dear, courage is knowing what not to fear," the woman said, and although a shudder ran through Minerva, she suppressed it. She knew that it wasn't reasonable to fear the dead, because they no longer held threat to the living world. Yet, there was something fearsome about meddling with the spirit of a child that had to leave the world too soon, to die at the hands of a monster. "I shall help you."

Madam Goldstein stood up slowly from her rocking chair in the corner of her small house, and walked towards the small table, placing herself in another seat and gesturing for them to come over to her.

"I know you want to speak to the chosen one," she said, seemingly looking for confirmation. Minerva had never had high hopes for divination or mediums, but since that was the only choice left to those desperate few that cling to the hope that someday evil will be banished and the order of good and evil will be set right again, she needed to believe in something.

"Yes," Albus confirmed simply. "We need to speak to the spirit of Harry Potter."

Madam Goldstein nodded solemnly. "I sense a presence," she said in a low wispy voice. Minerva felt a chill in the air, like someone had turned on an air conditioner in the middle of winter. The spirit started out as a smoky blob, and then turned into the spectral image of Harry James Potter himself.

"Potter," Minerva said in shock. '_Well, what do you know, it actually works_,' she thought to herself as she beheld sight of the boy, as he used to be, before…

"Professors," he started. "I knew you would attempt to contact me."

Albus nodded he was eager to hear everything Potter had to say. Sometimes Minerva wondered why she was friends with Albus he was quite mad, but also rather brilliant in his own way.

"Listen to me carefully," Potter said, and Minerva's thoughts turned to the boy.

"How did he remove the Horcrux?" Albus asked pleadingly.

"A transfer," Potter shuddered. "It was the most disgusting Dark Magic I have ever seen," his eyebrows raised. The implication was clear, it was worse than what killed him, or perhaps it was what killed him?

Potter explained every detail of what happened, from beginning to end. He was kept in the Malfoy dungeons before it happened. When it reached the part where he explained how he was tortured before his death, Minerva felt a tear run down her cheek. The horror this poor child experienced was unimaginable, and now he had to relive it all. It was clear this boy was special; he was in death as in life, willing to help, loyal to the cause, and always ready to do the right thing.

Minerva's heart broke for him, but she was thankful she had the chance to know him, and to see him now without pain somehow lessened the feeling of guilt she had for not protecting him better.

Potter had just told them all he knew, when there was a bang outside, and Madam Goldstein screamed.

"You need to get out! Get out _now_!" she cried, and the spirit of Harry disappeared into thin air. "Go out the back," she added in a quiet voice.

Minerva's blood ran cold. "It's _them_," Albus said, and the two of them snuck out the back of the house seconds before the front door was blown apart. The two Aparated away instantly, and Minerva spared a thought for the poor woman, but needs must. Madam Goldstein knew the risks, and she helped them, fugitives from the law.

Now, all they could do was use the knowledge wisely, and go about attempting to restore the natural balance.


End file.
